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Jan 30 | Fox Sports Go to Live Stream DAYTONA 500

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Fox Sports Go to Live Stream DAYTONA 500

DAYTONA, FL (January 30, 2014) – For the first time ever, FOX Sports GO, the app that provides live streaming video of FOX Sports content, is set to offer live, streaming coverage of the DAYTONA 500 on Sunday, Feb. 23. FOX Sports GO features two separate live streams of the 56th running of the Great American Race: the customary FOX Sports broadcast in English and the FOX Deportes telecast in Spanish.

“We’re giving fans the ability to watch the biggest race of the year wherever they go,” said Eric Shanks, President and COO, FOX Sports. “We’re also making the mobile experience more user friendly by streaming the race through FOX Sports GO and adding the FOX Deportes stream for our Spanish-speaking audience.”

Customers of participating video providers may access the live streams of the Daytona 500 through the FOX Sports GO app for iOS devices, as well as on desktops through FOXSportsGo.com.

The popular NASCAR on FOX broadcast team of Mike Joy, NASCAR Hall-of-Fame driver Darrell Waltrip and Daytona 500-winning crew chief Larry McReynolds again call the race from the FOX Sports booth, while Tony Rivera, Luis Rodriguez and Diego Mejia call the action on-track all season long for FOX Deportes.

Chris Myers and Michael Waltrip return trackside to the FOX Sports’ Hollywood Hotel, with Jeff Hammond providing special insider information from the garage and Steve Byrnes, Krista Voda and Matt Yocum in the pits.

In 2014, FOX Deportes, the No. 1 U.S. sports network in Spanish, again offers coverage of 13 points-paying NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, seven of which are carried live, including the DAYTONA 500. In addition, FOX Deportes offers coverage of THE SPRINT UNLIMITED and DAYTONA 500 QUALIFYING.

Launched in October 2013, FOX Sports GO provides live streaming of FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports 2, FOX Deportes and select FOX Sports broadcast events and programs so fans can take the games with them wherever they go. Subscribers of participating TV providers can enjoy access to live games and events through FOX Sports GO year-round.

To follow the event on Twitter, use the Hashtag #Daytona500 and follow @NASCARonFOX, @NASCAR and @DISUpdates.

About FOX Sports

FOX Sports is the umbrella entity representing 21st Century FOX’s wide array of multi-platform US-based sports assets. Built with brands capable of reaching more than 100 million viewers in a single weekend, FOX Sports includes ownership and interests in linear television networks, digital and mobile programming, broadband platforms, multiple web sites, joint-venture businesses and several licensing partnerships. FOX Sports includes the sports television arm of the FOX Broadcasting Company; FOX Sports 1; FOX Sports 2; Fox’s 22 regional sports networks, their affiliated regional web sites and FSN national programming; FOX Soccer Plus and FOX Soccer 2Go; FOX Deportes and FOX College Sports. In addition, FOX Sports also encompasses FOX Sports Digital, which includes FOXSports.com on MSN, FOX Sports GO, Whatifsports.com and Yardbarker.com. Also included in the Group are FOX’s interests in joint-venture businesses Big Ten Network, BTN 2Go and STATS, LLC, as well as licensing agreements that establish the FOX Sports Radio Network.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – More than 23 and a half hours of grueling and demanding racing came down to a four-lap dash to the finish as Action Express Racing and the No. 5 Corvette DP held off Wayne Taylor Racing and the No. 10 Corvette DP to win the 52nd anniversary Rolex 24 At Daytona on Sunday at Daytona International Speedway.

After a late full course caution, Portugal’s Joao Barbosa in the No. 5 car was able to hold off Italy’s Max Angelelli in the No. 10 car to win the debut event of the IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship by a margin of 1.461 seconds.

Brazil’s Christian Fittipaldi and France’s Sebastien Bourdais joined Barbosa on the winning team. The overall Rolex 24 win was the second for Fittipaldi and Barbosa and the first for Bourdais.

“I didn’t want to see it (the final caution),” Barbosa said. “I had quite a good gap and cushion so I could manage traffic. I was getting quite worried initially because I kept hitting traffic at the wrong moments. When the yellow came, I was struggling with the car. The gears weren’t as smooth as I would have liked it. They were sticking a little bit.

“These Action Express guys are the best. And my teammates…what a phenomenal job. We had a little hiccup during the night but we still had plenty of time to come back and that’s what we did. We kept fighting to the end.”

“I can tell you, I tried everything, adjust all I had in the car, to settle the car, to find a good balance, a good run," Angelelli said. “But I did not have enough for him.”

The victory also had some local flavor. Bob Johnson, owner of Action Express Racing, is from Daytona Beach while Barbosa now resides in nearby Ormond Beach. Action Express Racing, which also won Rolex 24 overall in 2010, also took third place overall with the No. 9 Corvette DP with drivers Burt Frisselle, Brian Frisselle, John Martin and Dabien Giroix.

“It’s one of these big races that you want to put on our resume,” Bourdais said.

“These guys did such a good job and I think it comes down to the preparation that we had over the wintertime,” Braun said. “We worked really, really hard to come up with a plan that we wanted to stick with and we just come prepared this weekend and executed our plan down to being quickest in both practices before qualifying, qualifying on the pole, winning the race. I think we must have led the most laps.”

The GTD class (GT Daytona) victory came down to an intense last lap battle between the No. 555 Level 5 Motorsports Ferrari 458 Italia and the No. 45 Flying Lizards Motorsports Audi R8.

Winkelhock appeared to have been forced off the track in the infield by No. 555 Ferrari F458 Italia driver Alessandro Pier Guidi as the cars streaked through the infield. Though the Ferrari was first to the checkered flag, IMSA initially imposed a stop-plus-75-second penalty on the No. 555, enough to give the victory to the No. 45 Audi.

But after further review, IMSA reversed the ruling and awarded the win to the Ferrari team, which also included Scott Tucker, Jeff Segal, Townsend Bell and Bill Sweedler. The Audi team was relegated to second place.

“The winning team is now declared the winner,” Sweedler said following the announcement in the Infield Media Center.

“We knew Daytona, the circuit, would be good for the characteristics of our car,” Tandy said. “We knew if the car was going to run well, we would be competitive for sure. The Roar was a really good time to get a lot of work done. Normally it’s a time where you can refine settings and little details, it was really a good three days to prepare for the race. We really expected to be good and competitive.

Fans can also stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for the latest news all season long. Fans can follow the latest on DAYTONA Rising, the $400 million frontstretch renovation at the “World Center of Racing” by using #DAYTONARising on Twitter or visiting www.daytonarising.com.

Jan 24 | Blackstock, Freiberg Win BMW Performance 200 After Penalty

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.– Fall-Line Motorsports co-drivers Shelby Blackstock and Ashley Freiberg claimed their first IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge victory in Friday’s BMW Performance 200 when the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M3 originally scored as the winner was excluded from the race due to a technical infraction.

Freiberg became the first woman to win overall in Continental Tire Challenge history. It also was the first Continental Tire Challenge victory for Blackstock, the son of singer/actor Reba McEntire.

“It’s awesome,” said Blackstock, whose previous best Continental Tire Challenge result was a third at Kansas Speedway last year. “I can’t thank the Fall-Line team enough. They gave me an awesome car and made awesome calls to put me in position. I’m pretty speechless right now. I’m a little disappointed I didn’t get to celebrate on the podium, but I couldn’t be happier.”

Ashley might be a little spoiled now. It took me more than two years to finally win one, and she wins in her first start. I hope she doesn’t think this series is easy. But she did an awesome job today.”

Freiberg is the fourth female class winner in the Continental Tire Challenge, coming nearly a year to the day after Lara Tallman took a Street Tuner (ST) class victory in the 2013 BMW Performance 200, also at Daytona International Speedway.

“I can’t describe the feeling – it’s everything I could ask for,” Freiberg said. “I’ve got to thank Fall-Line for putting me in one of their cars. Shelby helped me a ton, and he really drove the wheels off the car. It's definitely awesome. I’m pretty realistic and I understand that wins are not easy to get – especially winning at Daytona with all its history. That makes it all the more sweeter.”

Blackstock and Freiberg led what turned out to be a 1-2 sweep for Fall-Line Motorsports, as John Edwards and 18-year-old Trent Hindman took second in the No. 46 Trim-Tex/Criocco Ozzimo/Atlas Acon/DFL Interiors BMW M3.

“It’s a great day for Fall-Line and a great day for BMW,” Edwards said. “It’s bittersweet for me, because it turns out I threw it away with the tech issue – but that’s racing. It was a good point’s day to start the season, and a great day for the team.”

Third place went to Michael Marsal and Tom Kimber-Smith in the No. 97 Turner Motorsport BMW M3 ahead of 15-year-old Kaz Grala and Hugh Plumb in the No. 03 Rum Bum Racing BMW M3. James Davison and Joel Janco completed the top five in the No. 09 TRG-AMR North America Aston Martin Vantage.

Murillo Racing Takes First ST Victory

Jeff Mosing followed up his first career pole by joining Eric Foss in taking their first ST victory, also the first for Murillo Racing, in the No. 56 Mosler Motorcars BMW 328i.

“What we did today was three years in the making,” Mosing said. “I’m real excited to be running with such a competent team. Ken Murillo is a real magician when it comes to setting up BMWs.”

Foss passed Greg Liefooghe for the lead in the chicane at the end of the Daytona Superstretch with 15 minutes remaining, leading a group of five cars battling at the front. While Foss was making his move, Ryan Eversley and Michael Valiante tangled at the entrance of the chicane and spun. Eversley was able to continue in the No. 75 Compass360 Racing Honda Civic Si, but Valiante could not continue in the No. 93 HART Honda Civic Si, bringing out the race-ending caution.

“Greg was doing an awesome job, and raced me real close and clean,” Foss said. “I got a little nervous when I saw the Cayman coming up (Cory Friedman in the No. 24 Autometrics Motorsports Porsche), but everything worked out. Ken Murillo is the best engineer I’ve ever worked with. He knows what it takes to take a car to the finish line.”

Liefooghe and Tyler Cooke took second in ST in the No. 81 BimmerWorld Racing BMW 328i. Friedman and David Baum finished third in class, their best finish in the Continental Tire Challenge.

The next race for the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge will be its debut at Sebring International Raceway on Friday, March 14.

Jan 24 | Daytona International Speedway to be New Home of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America

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Daytona International Speedway to be New Home
of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America

NOVI, MI and DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Two of the greatest names in racing soon will share the same address. The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, motor racing’s Cooperstown, announced today that it will move its operations and collection of historic racing machines and memorabilia from the Detroit area to the ”World Center of Racing,” Daytona International Speedway by January 2016.

The move coincides with the scheduled January 2016 completion of DAYTONA Rising, the speedway’s $400 million frontstretch renovation project currently underway.

Plans call for the Hall of Fame's displays featuring cars, images, stories and bronze sculptures of 209 icons of American motorsports to be located in the Daytona International Speedway Ticket and Tours Building, which was formerly known as the “DAYTONA 500 Experience.”

Vehicles and artifacts representative of the diversity of motorized competition celebrated by the Hall of Fame, including Open Wheel, Stock Cars, Motorcycles, Aviation, Drag Racing, Sports Cars and Powerboats, will be exhibited as a regular part of the tours admission at Daytona International Speedway all year long.

“The partnership between Daytona International Speedway and the Hall of Fame is a match made in racing heaven,” said Ron Watson, president of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America. “The Hall gets a home within one of America’s most famous and best-loved sports venues. Race fans and tourists who come to Daytona will have another great attraction to visit throughout the year.”

“Daytona International Speedway is an iconic racing venue and will be a fitting home to the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America,” Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III said. “Having the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America right here in Daytona will complement DAYTONA Rising and provide another reason for race fans to visit Daytona International Speedway.”

Daytona International Speedway offers three different types of tours – a 30-minute, 90-minute All-Access and a three-hour VIP tour. More information on the tours can be found at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com/tours.

In addition, the champion Daytona 500 car will continue to be on display at the Daytona International Speedway Ticket and Tours building and be a part of the Speedway tours.

DAYTONA Rising, which broke ground last July at Daytona International Speedway, is a $400 million reimagining of an American icon – Daytona International Speedway. Five expanded and redesigned entrances, or “injectors,” will lead fans to a series of escalators and elevators, transporting them to three different concourse levels. Each level features spacious social areas, or “neighborhoods,” along the nearly mile-long frontstretch. At the conclusion of the redevelopment, Daytona International Speedway will have approximately 101,000 permanent, wider and more comfortable seats, twice as many restrooms and three times as many concession stands. In addition, the Speedway will feature over 60 luxury suites with track side views and a completely revamped hospitality experience for corporate guests. DAYTONA Rising: Reimagining an American Icon, expected to create 6,300 jobs, $300 million in labor income and over $80 million in tax revenue, will be completed in time for the 2016 Rolex 24 At Daytona and DAYTONA 500. Fans can follow the project online by using #DAYTONARising on Twitter or visiting www.daytonarising.com.

Tickets for the next Motorsports Hall of Fame of America induction ceremony, August 6, 2014 at the Fillmore Theater in Detroit, can be purchased by calling 248-349-7223 or through the Hall of Fame's website www.mshf.com

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Alex Gurney drove the No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Corvette DP to the pole position for the 52nd anniversary of the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the season-opening event for the IMSA TUDOR United SportsCar Championship scheduled for Saturday.

Gurney, who will co-drive with Jon Fogarty, Memo Gidley and Darren Law in the twice-around-the-clock challenge, toured the 3.56-mile road course on Thursday afternoon in one minute, 38.270 seconds, 130.416 mph.

With Gurney behind the wheel, the No. 99 car, nicknamed the “Red Dragon,” was previously on the pole for the 2007 Rolex 24.

“I’m obviously really happy and pretty excited about it all,” Gurney said. “It’s been a really difficult off-season. I have to say a big thank you to (owner) Bob Stallings and everybody on the team. I think most of the teams worked right through Christmas and New Year’s with no real time off with all the rules changes. This means a lot to all of us and our team. We’re not set for the whole season so this is one of our times to shine. It feels really good to pull it off.”

Gurney said the pole for the No. 99 team, which is committed to a limited schedule of TUDOR United SportsCar Championship races, came as a bit of a surprise.

“We were pretty diligent all through the testing and we were here in December kind of concentrating on full tank runs,” Gurney said. “We never went low fuel and showed what we had. When we pulled the fuel out, the time came. We were pretty happy with the car and it’s nice to get one in there.

Gurney’s father Dan won the inaugural three-hour Daytona Continental (now the Rolex 24) back in 1962. For Alex, he would love to be able to follow his father’s footsteps and win North America’s most prestigious sports car race.

“It would be the biggest thing in my career I think,” Gurney said. “For me personally, it’s the biggest race we do and the one we all want to win.”

In the Prototype Challenge class, Colin Braun, driving in the No. 54 ORECA FLM09, took the pole honors with a lap of one minute, 41.777 seconds, 125.922 mph.

“It is great to be on the pole here at Daytona because it’s a really cool race and as soon as the green flag drops, everyone forgets it,” said Braun, who is co-driving the car with James Gue, Jon Bennett and Mark Wilkins. “We have to enjoy it while we can.”

The No. 48 Audi R8 LMS with driver Christopher Haase took the pole in the GTD (GT Daytona) class with a lap of one minute, 46.973 seconds, 119.806 mph. In the GTL (GT Le Mans) class, the SRT Motorsports No. 91 Viper GTS-R and driver Marc Goossens captured the pole with a lap of one minute, 44.506 seconds, 122.634 mph.

The BMW Performance 200 and Ferrari Challenge

The BMW Performance 200, the season opener to the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, is set to go green on Friday at 1:45 p.m.

Rolling off in the pole position in the 2 ½ hour timed race will be the Grand Sport entry No. 15 Multimatic Motorsports Mustang Boss 302 R, which is co-driven by Jade Buford and Scott Maxwell. Buford topped the speed charts during Thursday’s qualifying with a lap of 110.651 mph.

Jeff Mosing, who is co-driving with Eric Foss, was fastest in the Sport Touring class driving the No. 56 Team TGM BMW 328i with a lap of 102.718 mph.

Also on tap Friday will be the first Ferrari Challenge race at 10:30 a.m. and final practice for Saturday’s Rolex 24 at 11:30 a.m.

Fans can also stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for the latest news all season long. Fans can follow the latest on DAYTONA Rising, the $400 million frontstretch renovation at the “World Center of Racing” by using #DAYTONARising on Twitter or visiting www.daytonarising.com.

Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – January 21, 2014 . . . For the third consecutive year, the BMW Performance 200, the opening round of the 2014 Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, will begin the North American racing season as drivers from all over the world assemble at the Daytona International Speedway for the 52nd Annual Rolex 24 at Daytona weekend.

Anthony Royer, President of Allstate Roadside Services, will serve as the Grand Marshal of the race and give the “Start Your Engines” command to the field of 64 cars that include 16 BMW race cars.

"Allstate Roadside Services is extremely proud of the roadside assistance program we provide for BMW,” said Royer. “We value the relationship and are true believers in The Ultimate Driving Machine."

During the weekend, BMW of North America will feature race cars that have highlighted the brand’s competition history and three new road cars that continue to expand its Motorsport foundation – the all-new 2014 BMW M235i Coupe and the fifth-generation 2015 BMW M3 Sedan and BMW M4 Coupe.

Of special note, fans at the Speedway will be able to view one of BMW’s 2013 M3 DTM race cars. BMW returned the German Touring Car Series in 2012, winning the manufacturer’s title for two consecutive seasons. 2013 BMW DTM drivers Joey Hand, Andy Priaulx and Dirk Werner as well as 2014 BMW DTM driver Maxime Martin will drive for BMW Team RLL as the Z4 GTLM makes its TUDOR United SportsCar Championship debut. Augusto Farfus, who finished second in the 2013 DTM chamionship, will join Turner Motorsport in the team’s GTD-class Z4. Joining the roster of BMW Team RLL drivers for the Rolex 24 will be Indy Car driver Graham Rahal.

In support of David Hobbs, Grand Marshal of this year’s twice-around-the-clock classic, BMW will display two very important cars Hobbs piloted when he served as a BMW factory driver. The flame-throwing BMW 320i Turbo that he drove in the 1978 and 1979 IMSA seasons as well as the radical BMW Powered M1-C, the very first IMSA prototype, will be on hand in the Speedway’s Fan Zone.

Instructors from the BMW Performance Driving School, in Spartanburg, SC, will bring a number of ultra-high performance BMW M6 Gran Coupes to give rides around the 3.56-mile Speedway road circuit to lucky fans.

“BMW couldn’t be more excited about starting the 2014 racing season at Daytona and the debut of the new TUDOR United SportsCar Championship,” said Gordon McDonnell, BMWNA Motorsport Manager. “Although this is our first 24hr race with the Z4 GTLM, BMW Team RLL is no stranger to endurance racing and we have one of the best driver line ups I can recall. BMW always goes big at Daytona and fans will have plenty to see on and off the track this weekend. The BMW Performance 200 will be just one of the highlights as we expect our privateer BMW teams to be right up front, fighting for a win. The excitement starts to build as soon as you drive through the tunnel; good luck to all the BMW teams this weekend.”

The BMW Performance 200 takes the green flag at 1:45 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24th. The 52nd annual Rolex 24 at Daytona starts at 2:10 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 25th with FOX Sports 1 covering the first two hours of the race live. A total of 15 hours of the race will be broadcast on FOX Sports channels.

BMW Group In America
BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, a strategic design consultancy in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group’s global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all X5 and X3 Sports Activity Vehicles and X6 Sports Activity Coupes. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 338 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 139 BMW motorcycle retailers, 119 MINI passenger car dealers, and 34 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

Information about BMW Group products is available to consumers via the Internet at: www.bmwgroupna.com